Solo
by Pwale
Summary: Prince Charming comes to save her. He proposes, after all, they're madly in love. And she accepts. But not this time. Not this couple. Kagome won't stand for it. She doesn't want a Prince Charming, she wants to go solo. InuKag


_**This is the second time I have posted this one-shot.  
I needed to replace it.**_

_**Attention.**_

**_If anyone, anyone, ever reviews and tells me that Nana-san is unrealistic because she 'encourages' Kagome to be gay, I will find some way to punish you._**

_**In this disclaimer I jokingly write that I will be flamed by homo-phobs. I didn't actually believe it until I got one review in particular. Let me make something very clear right now-**_

_**There. Is. Nothing. Wrong. With. Being. Gay.**_

**_Religion and Morals? Hey, are you saying that the Amazons and the Druids and most civilizations are unmoral and against your religion? Oh hey…that's right…they aren't under your religions, are they? _**

_**I am sick of this. I live in one of the most notoriously liberal places in America. I know gay couples. If you think that it's wrong then you are ignorant and have not been exposed to these people. I don't care if it's against your religion! I don't care if it's against your ethics or your morals! To say it's wrong is just like saying that woman voting is wrong or that black rights are wrong. **_

_**You may say that there is a difference, but there isn't. **_

_**I can't convince you people, I know that I can't, but…but if you have any guilt about telling someone who is madly in love with another person that they can't have the same rights as you just because they're in love with someone with the same genitals as them and you feel threatened by that, then I commend you. If you don't feel guilty about that then may society someday throw you to your knees and tell you that you aren't worth it just because you're different.**_

_**Nana-san is showing respect to Kagome for her future choices in life. If you can't accept that may I recommend a psychiatrist. You might want to do something about that narrow mind of yours.**_

_Welcome!_

_I hope that you will all enjoy this new one-shot of mine. Please, read on._

_Disclaimer:_

_Jenny: …Didn't you learn your lesson with She's A Christian?_

_Pwale: But this one doesn't have any religious reference!_

_Jenny: You know that you'll probably get flamed by a homo-phob or some crazy fan girl._

_Pwale: …We **are** crazy fan girls._

_Al: She's got you there._

_Calcifer: Psst! Since they're going to go on like this for a couple pages at least, I'll just say it. We don't own the characters!_

_Pwale: Hey! I heard that!_

_**Solo**_

_**By Pwalefriend**_

_Dear Reader-_

_In the End Of All Things_

_Where will you be?_

_Making Peace or_

_Making War_

_Accepting your Fate or_

_Fighting for Change?_

_In the End Of All Things_

_Where would I be?_

_Will you be with me?_

_-Sincerely X_

…

"…What?" Kagome gasped, staring into his golden eyes. Inuyasha blushed furiously.

"_I said…I love you…and I…want you to…um…to be my mate…_" He whispered. Damn! Why had he told her? What was _wrong_ with him? Oh Gods, he was such an idiot!

"You…love me?" She said. She looked down at her feet, her eyes darting everywhere, desperately looking for an answer. "I don't…I…I need to go…"

"What?" Inuyasha jerked, she couldn't just leave! "No, wait, Kagome-" But it was too late. She had already fled.

"No…" Kagome whispered as she ran. "No…please, somebody make it stop. Make it stop…"

Where was she going? The well? No…

Was she going to the God Tree? No…

Where? Where could she go now?

"_Help me…_" She whispered. "_Somebody help me_…"

'_I can't do this on my own.'_ She thought as she ran. She didn't know how long she ran, but she ran and ran, past trees and meadows, past women, children and men.

And as she ran, Time passed, ran away in front of her. As Time tends to do.

Kagome tried to catch it, Time I mean. She was chasing it, trying to see if it would have the answers. But she couldn't catch up to it no matter how hard or how fast she ran. Eventually her legs gave out from beneath her and she collapsed in a stream.

"Why?" She asked. "Why do things have to be so _complicated_ all of the time? Why can't we just continue on as we have? Why did he have to…to…"

_Flashback_

"_You're not like other girls, are you Kagome-chan?" Asked her babysitter, sitting down next to the little girl. Kagome beamed up at her._

"_Why do you say that Nana-san?" She asked. Nana-san smiled. _

"_That's why. Well, one of the reasons." Nana-san said. "You're not waiting for a Prince Charming, are you?"_

"_Prince Charming?" Kagome asked, confused. "Who's he?"_

"_He's the man who's waiting to sweep us girls off our feet." Nana-san explained. "He always comes to your rescue and he always says and does the right thing." _

_Kagome sucked on her bottom lip, thinking hard._

"_No, I don't think that I like him very much." Kagome said, Nana-san smiled._

"_I thought as much." Nana-san said. "But why not?"_

"_If he was so perfect, I don't think I'd feel very good about myself in comparison." Kagome explained. "And if he was always does the right thing, how would I know **him**. And besides…he'd be **boring**!_

_Nana-san laughed._

"_Kagome-chan!" Nana-san said. "I do believe I love you!"_

_End Flashback_

"Prince Charming…" Kagome laughed a little sourly. "Oh, who wants him? He'd be so _dull_!"

"But…" She continued. "…I'm not ready…I can't…I…"

_Flashback_

"_What sort of man do **you** want to marry, Kagome-chan?" Sensei asked, it was kindergarten and they were talking about families. Kagome frowned._

"_I don't want to marry." She said. Sensei frowned, confused._

"_Kagome," she said. "You **have** to marry."_

"_No you don't." Kagome said. "My Mama and Nana-san said that I don't, so I don't. Not if I don't want to." _

"_But Kagome-" Sensei started to protest, but Kagome shook her head._

"_No buts." Kagome said firmly. "A husband would keep me still. I wouldn't be able to be my own person. Maybe someday I'll give that part of me up, but I want to **live** first!"_

_End Flashback_

"Wise words. Ones to live by." Kagome said, with a wry smile. "I didn't know that it would be this hard, though." Kagome looked up at the sky.

'_Nana-san…'_ She thought. _'Thank you.'_

_Flashback_

"_Nana-san?" Kagome asked, peeking her head through the door. "Where are you going?"_

"_I have to go away for a while, Kagome-chan." Nana-san said, pausing a moment in her packing._

"_Why?" Kagome asked. Nana-san smiled sadly._

"_Because a man that I love asked me to marry him. Then when I refused him he ran away, so now I have to find things and make it better."_

"_Are you going to marry him?" Kagome asked, frightened. Nana-san shook her head._

"_I don't think I'll ever marry." She said. "But I can offer partnership. And if that's not good enough for him then he's not worth my love." Nana-san packed the last of her things and walked to the door._

"_Are you ready, Nana-san?" Asked Mrs. Higurashi, coming up behind her little daughter. Nana-san nodded. _

"_I can't tell you how much you've helped me, Mrs. Higurashi." Nana-san said, bowing. _

"_It was my pleasure, Nana-san." Mrs. Higurashi said, returning the bow._

_As Nana-san was walking away Kagome called her back. Nana-san turned around and held out her arms. Without a second thought Kagome flew into them._

"_Remember that Kagome-chan." Nana-san had whispered in her ear. "If you find a man or a woman who you love, but who won't be happy with you offering a partnership and not yourself, then don't give him or her anything. Don't let yourself be trapped like that."_

"_But can't marriage be good?" Kagome had asked, just wanting to be sure that she had it right._

"_Yes, it can." Nana-san agreed. "But if you can't trust the man or woman to let you be your own person, then they're just not worth your time. Understand?"_

_Kagome nodded, then frowned._

"_I can marry a woman?" She asked, and then she brightened. "Then **I **could be the husband!" _

_Nana-san had laughed, kissed Kagome on the cheek, and then had left forever. _

_Several years later they learned that Nana-san had been murdered…protecting a young woman from her violent boyfriend. Kagome-chan was so proud of her Nana-san._

_End Flashback_

"I still am proud of her." Kagome said, standing up. "Thank you Nana-san. Even today you continue to teach me, don't you?"

"Kagome?" Came an almost frightened voice from the edge of the water. Kagome turned and saw Inuyasha, standing there nervously.

"Inuyasha." She said.

"Look Kagome," Inuyasha began. "About today, I'm sorry that I-" But a small hand over his mouth stopped him.

"Be quiet Inuyasha." Kagome commanded. "I need to explain something to you." She took a deep breathe, she knew that what she was about to do was going to be the hardest thing that she had ever done in her life.

'_Give me strength, Nana-san!'_ She prayed. Suddenly a bravery that she had never felt before flooded her, giving her the strength she needed to go on.

Nana-san was with her on this one.

"Earlier today you told me that you loved me." Kagome said slowly. "You told me that you wanted me to be your mate. I'm not a fool, Inuyasha. I know perfectly well what a mate is. Human's use that word too, just a little differently. But I'm afraid that I can't accept." At Inuyasha's petrified look, she hastily amended herself. "Or at least, not the way you want me to."

Inuyasha was so confused. Kagome just smiled at him.

"I do love you Inuyasha." She said. "And it's because I love you that I have the strength to do what I do every day. Live. But I can't become your mate, I'm sorry. I'm just not ready to give that part of myself up."

Inuyasha blushed furiously and Kagome gave a little laugh.

"I mean I'm not ready to give that part of my freedom up." She said. "I will never be bound to one man that completely, you can ask it of me but I will never accept."

"But I'll do anything-" Inuyasha tried. But once again Kagome stopped him.

"Partnership." She said. "That's what I offer. We can be partners. But I will never be any mans wife or mate. I will never sacrifice my freedom until _I_ ask it of someone, whether they be man or woman. Demon or human or beast. It matters not to me." She lifted her head proudly. "And if you can't accept that Inuyasha, then you not worth my time."

Inuyasha looked at her, his face calmer then before.

"I can't offer you Prince Charming, Kagome." Inuyasha told her. "I can do a partnership, but then I can't offer the bond that comes with mating."

"That's perfect." Kagome told him. "That's all I want. I want you to help me fly, while I help you fly in return. But I need to fly solo for this one."

"For this what?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome smiled again.

"For my life."

_Please, please review! This was an interesting one-shot for me to write and I want to know what all of you think about it. _

_I just got so fed up with Kagome always accepting Inuyasha's proposals so easily. Of course, I'm guilty of it myself, but I just thought that I'd write this to make up for it._

"_Roar!"_

_See, my over-worked Review Lion even made an appearance, just for **you**, the Reader. _

_**And if you must flame, leave a way for me to contact you. Anything else is just cowardly.**_

_Sincerely_

_Pwalefriend_


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